BOSTON — Conor Gillaspie hit a tie-breaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning for his third hit of the game and the Chicago White Sox beat the struggling Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Boston did manage to snap Chicago pitchers' streak of 22 scoreless innings but lost for the seventh time in eight games as the defending World Series champions remained in last place in the AL East.

John Danks (8-6) started with four shutout innings on Tuesday night after Hector Noesi beat Seattle 1-0 on Sunday and Scott Carroll won 4-0 on Monday night when Boston had just two hits.

The White Sox squandered a 3-0 lead when the Red Sox tied it with three runs in the fifth. But Chicago went ahead to stay with two in the sixth and then added three runs in the ninth.

Jose Abreu led off the sixth with a single against Brandon Workman (1-3) and stayed at first when the next two batters were retired. Then Gillaspie, the former Cape League MVP (2007 while with Falmouth) hit a 3-and-2 pitch just inside the pole in right field for his second homer of the season. He had singled, doubled and scored a run earlier.

Abreu had three hits — two doubles and a single — and has hit safely in 21 of his last 22 games.

Chicago added three run-scoring extra-base hits in the ninth — a triple by Alejandro De Aza and doubles by Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko.

The White Sox took a 2-0 lead with two unearned runs in the second. They loaded the bases with no outs on a walk to Adam Dunn and singles by Alexei Ramirez and Gillaspie. Dunn scored on an error by first baseman Mike Napoli and Ramirez came in when De Aza grounded into a double play.

Chicago made it 3-0 in the fourth when Gillaspie doubled and scored on a De Aza single.

The Red Sox, the lowest-scoring team in the American League, failed to score after loading the bases in the first and fourth. They finally got to Danks, 5-1 in his last seven starts, in the fifth.

Brock Holt led off with a triple when center fielder De Aza let the ball get behind him after he raced in and dived for it. Dustin Pedroia and Napoli followed with run-scoring doubles and Xander Bogaerts tied it with an RBI single.

Workman went seven innings, but surrendered five runs (three earned and was touched for eight hits. It marked his third straight start allowing at least four runs after not allowing more than three in any of the first eight starts of his career.

Workman was sent to Pawtucket after the game and Rubby De La Rosa recalled to start tonight's game against former Cape Leaguer Chris Sale (Yarmouth-Dennis, 2009).

DEFENDING DAVID: Thanks to some comments John Lackey made Saturday night alluding to Baltimore's Nelson Cruz's suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, David Ortiz's 2003 failed steroid test has become an issue again.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, defending his player, said, "Everybody needs to make sure their own backyard is real clean," an obvious reference to Ortiz, though he never mentioned anyone by name.

Ortiz defended himself Monday in an interview with WEEI.com, saying there's never been proof that he failed a test for PEDs, and Tuesday afternoon Red Sox manager John Farrell also defended Ortiz.

"The 2003 test ... that's being referred to, I don't know how many times David has been tested since then," said Farrell. "Whatever that number is, I'm sure it's a high one. He's tested clean every time. It's unfortunate that the innuendo continues to follow him. He's a heckuva player, one helluva hitter, and there's no reason other than hard work and talent that's produced that."

Of course, with the sophistication of today's drugs, many of the players suspended for their association with the Biogenesis scandal, like Cruz, never tested positive for PEDs.

SHORT HOPS: Shane Victorino, on the disabled list with a hamstring issue since May 24, was scheduled to begin his second attempt to return from the injury on Wednesday, but the back pain that stopped his first rehab assignment crept up again and has pushed his schedule back a day. Victorino is now slated to begin a rehab assignment Thursday.